Discover the best things to do in Whitehorse with our interactive spin wheel. From northern lights to Yukon River paddling to dog sledding — spin and plan your Yukon adventure.
Whitehorse is the capital and only city of Canada's Yukon Territory, sitting in a broad valley carved by the Yukon River 60km north of the BC border. The city of approximately 30,000 people — more than 70% of the Yukon's entire population — serves as the gateway to one of the world's last great wilderness areas: Kluane National Park to the southwest (home to North America's largest non-polar icefields), the Kluane-Wrangell-St. Elias-Glacier Bay UNESCO World Heritage Site, and thousands of kilometres of wilderness river routes including the Yukon River itself, which flows 3,000km from its headwaters near Whitehorse all the way to Alaska.
The Yukon Gold Rush of 1897–98 established Whitehorse as a supply hub and left a rich cultural and historical legacy that the city wears with genuine pride. The SS Klondike National Historic Site — a beautifully restored sternwheeler — sits on the Yukon riverbank. The MacBride Museum of Yukon History chronicles everything from prehistoric Beringia to the gold rush era. And the Miles Canyon, just 8km from downtown, where the Yukon River narrows through dramatic basalt columns, was one of the most dangerous obstacles on the gold rush route. In winter, Whitehorse is one of the most reliably good northern lights destinations in the world, positioned directly under the auroral oval in a region with very low light pollution. Dog sledding, snowshoeing, and fat biking are the winter counterparts to summer's paddling, hiking, and wildlife watching.
Not sure where to start? Let the wheel decide! Spin below to get a random activity suggestion from our curated list of the best things to do in Whitehorse.
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Watch the Northern Lights — Whitehorse sits under the auroral oval — the ring around the geomagnetic north pole within which the northern lights are most frequently and intensely visible. Clear nights from late August through April (the darker months) produce displays that can last for hours, filling the sky with green, purple, and red curtains of light. Aurora forecasting apps help time viewings to geomagnetic activity; operators offer guided viewing nights with hot drinks and photography instruction.
Paddle the Yukon River — The section of the Yukon River from Whitehorse to Carmacks (370km, 7–10 days) is the classic introductory Yukon paddle route — accessible for beginners, historically rich (the gold rush stampeders paddled it in reverse), and passing through spectacular boreal wilderness. Lake Laberge — immortalized in Robert Service's poem "The Cremation of Sam McGee" — is 50km downstream. Day paddles from Whitehorse to Miles Canyon are accessible without a guide.
Dog Mushing Experience — Several kennels near Whitehorse offer dog mushing experiences ranging from 1-hour introductory rides to multi-day wilderness expeditions. The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race — 1,600km from Whitehorse to Fairbanks (or vice versa) — starts in Whitehorse every February and is arguably the world's most gruelling dogsled race. The start is open to spectators.
Wildlife Watching at Kluane National Park — A 2-hour drive west on the Alaska Highway brings you to Canada's largest national park and the St. Elias Mountains. Grizzly bears, Dall sheep, caribou, and moose are all commonly sighted. The Sheep Mountain visitor centre and the Tachal Dhal (Sheep Mountain) hiking trail provide the most accessible wildlife viewing. Mount Logan — at 5,959m, Canada's highest peak — rises from this park's icefields.
Flightseeing Over the St. Elias Mountains — Air North, Sifton Air, and several bush plane operators offer flightseeing over Kluane's extraordinary icefields and mountain faces. The Kaskawulsh Glacier, the Donjek Glacier, and the upper Logan massif from the air are overwhelming in scale — this is North America's greatest concentration of mountains and glaciers outside Alaska, and it is best appreciated from the air.
Summer (June–August) brings almost continuous daylight (the sun barely sets in June), spectacular hiking conditions, and river paddling. July and August are warmest (average 22°C). Winter (November–March) is aurora season, dogsledding season, and the time of year the Yukon truly reveals its wild character. Spring (April–May) offers lingering snow for skiing and snowshoeing alongside the first signs of the boreal forest waking up.
Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport connects to Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Kelowna via Air North and Air Canada. The Alaska Highway from Dawson Creek, BC reaches Whitehorse after 1,524km — an epic drive in itself through two of Canada's most spectacular provinces and territories. The White Pass and Yukon Route scenic railway runs seasonally from Skagway, Alaska to Carcross, Yukon — 177km of narrow-gauge magnificence.
Whitehorse and the Yukon reward multiple trips — summer paddling, winter aurora, spring thaw. Create your SpinQuest account to build a Yukon adventure log that tracks your river sections, wildlife sightings, northern lights nights, and dog mushing experiences. Link the Whitehorse wheel with Churchill for the ultimate Canadian northern adventure double.
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